Method of scouring and decorticating cereals



(No Model.)

W. AGER. METHOD OF SGOURING AND DEGORTIOATING CEREALS 0v 8 8 1 0 8 y 1 u U d e m e 7; b a P w/ A 6 I 6 8 0 4 o N Zzlfdliorney W12 WESSE'S N. PEYERs, PholoLilhogrlphlr. Washington. I). C.

UNITED STATES PATENT @EEICE.

IVILSON AGER, OF BLOOMSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

METHOD OF SCOURING AND DECORTICATING CEREALS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 408,063, dated July 30, 1889.

Application filed March 30, 1 8 8 9.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IVILSON AGER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bloomsburg, in the county of Columbia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Methods of Scourin g and Docorticating Cereals, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the scouring and decorticatin g of cereals, and particularly wheat.

1n the patent granted me March 18, 1884:, No. 295,471, I show and describe an upright mill consisting of an outer stationary cylinder having an inner abrading-surface, provided at intervals with openings covered by wire-gauze, and an inner revolving drum having bristles, and provided with means for inducin g an air-currentwhichpasses out through blast-openings in the wall of the drum, and thence through the foraminous openings in the outer cylinder. In an application filed by me upon the 5th day of January, 1889, Serial No. 295,529,I also show and describe blastconductors entering the outer or stationary cylinder in directions opposite to the direction of revolution of the inner drum, and preferably tangential to the latter, or substan tially so, the purpose of this external air-blast being to cool the decorticating-surfaces and reduce the temperature under a heavy load and high speed to a comparatively low point. \Vhile these decorticators operate successfully and give excellent results, I have found, nevertheless, that there is a failure to remove all the impurities or external adhesions of the wheat, and to give what I may term a perfect cleansing, whereby the true golden color and shining surface of the grain are made to appear. I have also found, by careful experiment and long investigation, that there is but one way in which a cleansing of the char acter described can be effected; and it is the I object of my present invention to provide a Serial No. 305,420. (No model.)

decorticator arranged to deliverinto the hopper of a second and substantially similar mill. Figs. 2 and 3 are detail sections of the two outer drums or cylinders.

In the said drawings, the reference-numeral 1 indicates any suitable supporting-frame, by which the operative parts of each mill are supported, said frame having upper and lower cross beams or braces 2 and 3, upon the latter of which is stepped a vertical shaft at, the bearing being protected by a hood 5. The upper end of the shaft is supported in a suitable bearing in the cross-beam 2, which is braced by a tie-beam (5, or in any suitable manner. A baud-pulley 7 is mounted on the shaft 4: between the crossbeams 2 and 6 and a similar support above. Upon the shaft 4 is keyed or otherwise mounted a cylinder 8, which is in general outline preferably a frustum of a cone. This cylinder is provided with heads 9, having circular flanges 10, to which is bolted the body of the cylinder, composed of any suitable material, and provided with openings 12, which are partly covered by interior flaps 13, mounted on one edge of said openings, and so placed as to leave longitudinal apertures bet-ween the free edges of the flaps and the other edges of said openings, said apertures being upon the side toward which the cylinder revolves. The outer face of the cylinder is covered,with the exception of the openings 12, with short closelyset bristles 14, for which tampico, or any equivalent material, may be substituted. In each cylinder-head are formed openings 15, over which are inclined plates or hoods 16, their free ends pointing in the direction of rotation. These openings are placed as nearly as possible to the periphery of the drum in order that the rotation of the latter may impart the greatest possible speed, whereby the air is driven-or drawn into the interior of said cylinder on one or both ends.

Surrounding the cylinder 8 and concentric therewith is a drum 17, having its wall parallel to that of the cylinder and separated therefrom by a short space. This outer drum is supported upon the frame above and below and is composed of any suitable material provided upon its interior face with an imperforate abrading-surface, formed of Derbyshire stone. In the wall of this drum are formed two, three, or more openings 18, running vertically and covered by wire-gauze of suitable fineness, these openings extending, preferably, to a point not far from the lower end of the drum, which is provided with a cone-shaped receptacle 19, emptying into a chute 20, through which the grain,after being deeorticated and scoured, is disposed of in the manner hereinafter specified.

The decorticator is supplied by means of a hopper-trough 21, through which the cereal is fed from a reservoir above, from which it passes into the decorticator at the upper end of the drum and cylinder, as seen in Fig. 1.

The operation of the mill maybe regulated by simply adjusting the inner cylinder 8 vertically by means of the set-screw 22. As the grain passes between the revolving cylinder and outer drum,the rapid rotation of the latter draws a strong current of air into its interior,whence it is expelled through the openings 12 in said cylinder and thence through the gauze-covered openings in the drum, driving off the dust, but allowing the scoured grain to descend into the chute below. Entering the outer drum at one, two, three, or more points are fan-shaped conveyers 23, the longitudinal openings whereof extend vertically through the wall of the drum at suitable intervals. These conveyors are preferably arranged to deliver their blasts in a direction nearly or quite tangent to the inneror revolving cylinder, though this feature is capable of considerable variation. The direction of the air-blast delivered thereby is also contrary to the direction of rotation of said cylinder, whereby the force of the internallyinduced current is increased, while the surface of the drum is cooled and retained at a low temperature and the dust and similar foreign matter expelled through the screened openings with great force and rapidity. I have shown in the drawings two of these conveyers only; but I wish it to be understood that I may employ any desired number, the usual construction being from two to six, according to the size and capacity of the mill. I may also introduce the auxiliary blast from the side through the edges of the screened openings, or through openings in the solid wall of the drum between these apertures.

The foregoing description sets forth the construction of the decorticator covered in m y application filed the 5th day of January, 1889, Serial No. 295,529.

The reference-numeral 24E denotes a second mill, organized like the one described in all substantial particulars, save that the stationary or outer drum, instead of being provided with an inner abrading-surface formed of Derbyshire gray, is faced with an inner surface formed of a species of fine-grained brown or reddish limestone, deriving its color from the presence of a small quantity of iron.

This stone is extensively quaried at Seneca, New York, for building and other purposes, and is sometimes known under the name of Medina brownstonej but I have discovered that it will retain the necessary abrading-surface in the second decorticator, and will neither gum when an externally-introduced blast is introduced nor wear smooth, like most other substances.

In practicing my invention, the grain is first cleaned in mill No. 1, in the usual manner, the abrading-surface of Derbyshire stone removing the adhering foreign matter to such a degree as to leave the grain in a condition that to the un practiced eye might well appear thoroughly clean. From the first decorticator I transfer the grain, by any suitable means, to the second mill, where it undergoes a supplemental cleaningprocess,theMedinabrownstone or Seneca stone facing removing from the surface of each berry an amount of woody fiber and other foreign matter, which, although wholly invisible to the eye, constitutes, nevertheless, nearly one per cent. of the bulk or volume of the grain. *ly this second process of decortication the last atoms of foreign matter are removed and the golden-colored shining surface of the grain is exhibited. Flour ground from this grain is far whiter than any flour that can be produced by any other process of cleaning, and bread made from such flour has a brilliant and pure color which it has hitherto been impossible to attain without the use of chemicals or other adulteratiomand even then only imperfectly.

My method depends for its success upon first subjecting the cereal to decortication in a mill having the Derbyshire-stone facing, and then passing it through a second mill, in which the decorticating or abrading surface of the outer drum is formed of the linen.

grained Seneca stone or Medina brownstone.

I employ the external air-blast in both mills in the manner set forth in my pending application referred to above; but I make no claim to the same in the present application.

IIO

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The art, method, or process herein set forth for cleaning and decorticating wheat and other cereals, consisting in first subjecting the grain to the action of a decorticator hav ing an abrading-surface of Derbyshire stone, and then to a similar process in a mill having a facing of Seneca stone or Medina brownstone of the characterspecified,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

\VILSON AGER.

Witn esses:

VINToN CooMBs, JAMES A. RUTHERFORD 

